There are two main types of passenger restraint systems: active and passive systems. The most prevalent active restraint is a flexible seat belt which is manually positioned to encircle the passenger's waist. This type of restraint is sometimes employed in connection with aerial chairlifts at ski resorts and amusement parks, as well as in vehicles.
Safety bar restraints are another type of active restraint system. With this restraint system, bars are pivotally mounted to be positionable in front of the occupants during use. Safety bar restraints are fairly common in the skiing and amusement park industries. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,244,650 to Curran, et al. discloses a chair for an aerial tramway having a movable safety bar to restrain the riders.
Passive restraint systems are also available, most commonly in automobiles. These restraint systems engage automatically in response to a predetermined event, e.g., putting the key in the ignition, closing the car door, etc. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,899,042 to Bonar discloses an automobile seat automatic passenger-securing safety bar that is activated when a passenger sits down on, and leans back against, a seat.
Although prior art restraint systems have been widely used in resorts and amusement parks, they are not entirely satisfactory. For example, with belt-type active restraint systems, the ski resort or amusement park personnel must spend additional time to ensure that the belts are engaged prior to movement of the chair. This delay impedes timely progression of the chairs along the track. Active restraint systems can be labor intensive at the end of the trip as well. Resort or park personnel may need to assist passengers with disengagement of the belts or safety bars prior to exit. In addition, the employees must reposition or otherwise prepare the restraints for the next passengers.
Since active restraint systems are commonly designed so that the passenger engages the restraint, there may be human error in failing to engage the restraint at all or failing to engage it properly. If the restraint has no automatic locking mechanism, a passenger may be able to disengage the seatbelt or safety bar while the chair is in mid-air.
Safety bar type restraints may require complicated maneuvers by the passengers in moving the same to their operative position prior to movement of the chair. If a passenger does not engage the safety bar prior to the beginning of the ascent, or does not lock the safety bar in a restrained position, he may be injured. Like the belt-type restraints, safety bars may be disengaged during the trip. Neither the seatbelt nor safety bar (active) restraint system includes an automatic deployment or retraction feature.
Passive restraint systems are also not entirely successful. They are not designed to restrain multiple passengers. They are typically not used in open-air vehicles. Passive systems in chair lifts do not use lapbelts to restrain the passengers. Instead, they use shoulder belts or safety bars.
Some ski resorts do not use any restraint system in connection with their chairlifts. At these resorts, skiers sit in chairs and are transported up the mountain via the lift. With completely unrestrained chairs, skiers face potential injury from falls during the ascent.
Thus, there is a need for a passenger restraint system that does not include the above-described disadvantages.